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MAGIC IN THE MOUNTAINS
The enduring art of Limberlost Press
BY SONYA FEIBERT
Our tale begins in a log house in the mountains of Idaho. Inside, magic abounds as stories are brought to life. In an age when books are attacked, our heroes valiantly print and hand-sew books that give rise to new and beloved voices. Their stories reach people who are changed by them, who see hope and wonder in a diligently letterpressed, hand-sewn chapbook. Words are immortalized in the minds of mortals.
This is the (maybe slightly fairy tale version) story of Rick and Rosemary Ardinger, the founders of Limberlost Press. In the mountains of Idaho, they dedicate their days to the exacting art of letterpress—printing poetry chapbooks and books from authors you’ve likely heard of, and some you may not know yet.
Rick graciously shared more about Limberlost’s process and what this publishing method means to the Ardingers.
What value do you see in letterpress printing?
A letterpress-printed book is a collector’s item. It is a limited edition for discerning readers.
Digital printing is now making hard-copy books more easily accessible and affordable to print, and consequently, thousands more hard-copy books of poetry are published every year.
It’s been our hope and belief that a letterpress-printed limited edition— something that requires a commitment to an edition of work that is limited to a certain number—will elevate interest in the work through the unique presentation, where the printing compliments the work.
What are a few of your dream projects? Authors you'd love to collaborate with, or collections you'd like to publish?
We have had many dream projects over the years, publishing established writers we very much admire and giving voice to young and/or less well-known writers that we have believed in and made a commitment to.
Our dream projects over the years have included books by writers such as Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Jim Harrison, Sherman Alexie, Gary Snyder, Margaret Aho, John Updike, Jennifer Dorn, and others—several Pulitzer Prizewinning writers. We’ve admired all these writers and have enjoyed collaborating to produce books set apart from their other work produced by major publishers.
In the forthcoming 2025 edition of The Limberlost Review, we’ll publish works by such noteworthy writers as Bonnie Jo Campbell, Wendell Berry, Judith Freeman, and National Poet Laureate Ted Kooser—alongside many writers from Idaho and the West.
Since 1995, we’ve published four limited edition chapbooks by Native American writer Sherman Alexie, a National Book Award-winning writer whose works have been banned by school districts in Meridian and elsewhere. Sales of his books have allowed us to make the financial investment to publish works by less well-known writers.
This is the job of small presses like Limberlost.
What keeps you inspired? Where do you turn for inspiration?
What keeps us inspired is the work. We’ve been at this for nearly 50 years now, 2026 being our 50th anniversary since launching the first Limberlost Review in 1976 as a small press magazine of poetry.
We get our inspiration from reading.
Also, we love where we live, love Idaho—despite its intolerant right-wing politics—and love living in the mountains north of Boise, halfway to Idaho City. We moved to Idaho for grad school in 1977.
Every day, we wake to the morning sun on Aldape Summit as our view of the world before anything else intrudes, and Aldape Summit is the last view we have across the canyon we live on the edge of. Elk and deer visit every night. Coyotes cross our property often and make their presence known most nights. We feed the birds and for several years a wild cat who will never let us get close enough to touch. We burn wood through the winter and enjoy the solitude.
What are some qualities you've noticed about writers of the West and Idaho in particular? Any connections or commonalities that stand out?
The landscape is present among writers of the West, whether they specifically write about it or not. Critics say it is a regional focus, but distance is something we all seem to know here. I like to think of Western writers as cultural lookouts, much like Forest Service lookouts on mountain tops (a number of which
I’ve hiked up to), sending in their observations, reports, personal pleas, stories of personal disaster, and epiphany. We’ve loved—and published—the works of writers from New Mexico, Nevada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon, Washington, California, and Colorado. I warmed to it all soon after arriving in Idaho as a kid in 1977
Any advice for aspiring or emerging writers?
Read.
Read the works of the great writers and learn from them, maybe even retype their work to get their sense of line.
I also recommend that young writers write what they know, and continue to try to get their work published in small magazines—be they online or print—as it is important to have the validation of editors who publish your work. Don’t rush to self-publish a book before you have the validation of a number of editors who see value in your work.
